Strangleland
by Leminicka
Summary: When Harry Potter is supposedly killed he ends up in the muggle world living a life he thinks he's had for seventeen years. OOTP and The Slayers Council team up to uncover the mystery of his death and fight Voldemort but it's harder than they think
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The contents of this story concerning the Harry Potter books are the property of J.K Rowling, Warner brothers and Bloomsbury books. The contents concerning Buffy The Vampire Slayer is the property of Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, Fox, W.B and other proprietors in league with these subjects.

The quote is from Vanilla Sky

Warning: Contains strong language, substance abuse and some themes some readers may find disturbing.

A/N: Hello everyone! This is to anyone who was reading Sincerity/Loyalty I have ceased to continue with the series because I have come to the conclusion that it was a load of Bollocks.

Basicaly my account stopped working but now it's working again! This story is in some ways completely different to Loyalty but in other ways there are some themes that may seem similar.

Please give me feedback, don't be shy I can handle criticism and I want to know what you all think.

Thanks!

Timeline: Set after HBP, midway through an imaginary book 7 and two years after Chosen.

Chapter One

_Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around_

The clouds set charcoal shadows across the pink sun; already beginning it's descent into the murky depths of a long-forgotten sea. A flash of white lightning followed a pronouncing moan from the sky, illuminating the horrifying image of the west pier already half crumpled into that same fathomless sea.

Buffy ducked under a building's overhanging roof, taking refuge from the storm that was obviously about to rip apart a beach created on the same day as the same shitty world she was hiding from.

"Stupid rain. Why do they call it sunny Brighton? So far I'm thinking Mr Sunshine is a bit on the late side," Buffy muttered in an attempt to amuse herself.

She didn't exactly remember why she had run away when there were plenty of other none scaredy-cat-ish things she could have done, but the date hung over her head like someone had brandished her with a hot poker, the nineteenth of October 2004, exactly two years ago today. Perhaps that's why she felt like shit, the memories were too haunting, looming over her in one continuous, torturing laugh.

About a week after that she had flown from Rome (where Dawn and she had been living) and gone to live in Australia. Australia got boring, so Scotland soon found itself being infiltrated by her twenty-four-year-old self. There she had met Adam. He was older than her by a couple of years, with cheek bones like Spike's. He had a slender figure, maybe too thin, bleached yellowy-blond hair, though most of the blond was gone when she met him, and his eyes were green like the grass she'd sat on with him.

Adam had been a real screw-up; he was addicted to acid and continuously dragged Buffy into situations she would rather not have experienced. One day she came home to find one of his mates lying face down in a pool of his own sick. Buffy had enough after that, she grabbed her stuff and got the first train to England, and that's how she had found herself in Brighton.

As the rain pelted the pavement she was already planning out her next move. It wasn't as if she hadn't noticed what was happening to the world; more that she was trying to ignore it. Already a large percentage of England had been bombed. London had been putting on a good show until the Houses of Parliament were bombed. Camden High Road was a mere shell of what it had once been and the saddest of all was when Bluebell Woods were demolished by giants. Magic was flying around everywhere and not in a good way. It started off slowly, more and more disappearances, and then strange things began to happen.

The real shocker was when a whole street blew up of its own accord. After that the people responsible for it started to make themselves apparent. The Government was calling them terrorists, but soon it became obvious that they were not anything of the sort. They called themselves 'Death Eaters' and were run by a person called the 'Dark Lord'; it was soon clear that war had begun and they were winning.

She already knew that the new Slayers' Council had been trying to track her down, but she was too good for them. They wanted her to help them fight this, but to be frank she just didn't care anymore. What was done was done and she had saved the world enough times.

Buffy turned her denim collar up against the rain and, hunching her shoulders, she ducked out from underneath the roof to brave the elements. The friendly sign of a Holiday Inn swung in the wind. Buffy made her way towards it, already soaked through to the skin.

She was looking forwards to flopping down on the ghastly flowered bedspread after a long hot shower and flicking through channel after channel of Saturday night telly. She found her way through the dimly lit hallways, peeling wallpaper chuckling softly at her pitiful-ness, the smells of cheap wannabe D&G perfume mocking her, swatting out a sticky hand to drag her down into the plush red carpet where the fake perfume had started to decay.

The door to her 'I'm cheaper than Wal-Mart' room creaked as she pushed it open. It still smelt like cat piss and spunk and another foul odour she couldn't place, but it was the cheapest she could find. Buffy haphazardly flicked on the light switch upon contact with the circuit it began to buzz. Kicking the door shut behind her, she looked at the bed in front of her. A half–empty packing case still lay there, tempting her, just itching to be picked up and taken somewhere else. Buffy pushed it off her bed and sat down lazily. Just as she was about to turn on the T.V she suddenly heard a faint chuckle from the corner and a man came walking out of the shadows.


	2. Chapter 2

27/11/2006 11:36:00

**IMPORTANT PLEASE READ.**

A/N: Thanks to all of my reviews, it makes me very happy. I had one review saying that my timeline was out of place. I really didn't think about it to be honest but thanks for spotting that.

For anyone who really cares this story is AU, because both universes are in 2006 at the time this story is set and it's Harrys seventh year in school.

This story is not a Buffy saves Harry Potter and becomes all big sisterly. I don't think they even meet in this story to be honest because if you read the summery Harry has lost his memory and is living in the Muggle world.

I also want to say that I am not American I'm English, and I'm from London so if anyone doesn't understand any of my lovely slang (to come later in the story round about chapter five) then don't hesitate to ask what I mean. Also if anyone has any tips on how I can make my American characters more American please tell me.

Thanks again guys please review your all great!

Chapter four.

London, England

July 06

Swirling powder-blue sky, speckled by clouds and wintry sunshine, illuminated Waterloo Bridge. A young girl of around sixteen walked steadily down the middle, her hazel eyes briefly flickered over the river to her left and then the railway running along her right. Although it was chilly she only wore a red chiffon dress and silver stilettos. Her face was framed by full-bodied brown hair that hung beneath her shoulder blades, dipping slightly in to the crevice of the hollow cheekbones that shaped her cat-like features.

The girl's name was Emily. She walked in a swaying, dazed sate with a confused expression on her face. Emily soon reached the middle of the Pedestrians' Bridge. Stopping briefly to sigh, she was about to take a step forwards when the train that had been zooming past her on the parallel bridge, erupted into flames as a bomb was dropped on top of it.

Emily froze, eyes wide and panting heavily, she looked down at the train now running through a hole in the bridge, black smoke billowing out of it. She felt the ground beneath her shake a little; she didn't even notice the noise around her, she felt the people and could smell the smoke but in the mayhem all she noticed was a boy with messy black hair, floating in the river below her and the train.

Buffy started, the remote almost flying out of her hand. She cursed herself mentally, it appeared that her so called 'spidey senses' had gone on holiday with the moody suitcase still taunting her by the bed. Buffy suddenly had the mental image of a large hairy spider scuttling away with her luggage in tow, a pink tongue wagging at her spitefully. It would have been rather comical had the situation been different, but alas she was sitting stiffly on the foot of her bed as a heavily built man made his way into the buzzing light of the TV, switching of the harsh, main light as he went.

"It's funny, see when I pictured you hiding out you were always in an indoor bunker with no washing machine so you had to make do with walking around in your underwear…this, well I have to say this isn't much better, although bonus points for the skimpy outfit," as he said this the man stepped fully into the light so Buffy could see his face.

"You haven't changed one bit, still a-making with the jokes and high school fantasies," Buffy retorted.

"No, I have changed, we all have Buff, you've just been too blind to see it." At this Buffy turned her face away from him. The glow of the telly fell on her hair, turning it a mousy blond.

"Well Xander, it's not like I really had a choice. Besides I'm sure you didn't come all the way here just to lecture me."

The blond shivered slightly as a gush of wind blew through the un-close-able window. "Willow misses you, she's doing a lot better since…well since that day. We all miss you, especially Dawn."

"How is she?" Buffy asked anxiously.

"Well let's just say that when Dawn gets into a snit, we know to run. Fortunately we have avoided snits and are steadily working past sulksville into none-verbal grunt land."

"And Faith, she doesn't still…y'know?"

"Hard to say, she and Robin broke up after you left so she hasn't said much about it, but she's Faith she'll get by, 'Five by Five'." Buffy tittered at this, taking a deep steadying breath.

"Just for the record so I can say I asked: How were your travels oh travelly one?" Xander asked, taking a tentative step closer to the bed. Buffy shifted along giving him space to sit down.

"Oh, you know," she sniffed wiping her nose, "I saw a fair amount, Australia, Edinburgh and now here. Yup, it's really been an expedition, one to rival 'The Motorcycle Diaries' best–seller, I'm telling ya."

He smiled then was suddenly serious. "Buffy listen, we've been trying to track you down for a while now. At first we thought we'd just leave you and let you have some space, but then something happened this summer, and not anything that could even remotely be described as good. We really need your help."

"Well how about you fill me in and then maybe I'll think about it."

He sighed rubbing his temples, in a very un-Xander-ish way. Buffy realized she had been wrong, he had changed and hopefully not for the worst.

"Where to start?" He smiled. Buffy stayed silent and expectant. "I guess it pretty much started around when you left. About a week after you left, Faith had a prophetic dream. It was saying that we were needed in L.A straight away.

So we rounded up the troops, which was no mean feet, I'm telling ya. Soon we had something close to an army. Well, we arrived and it turned out that our little friend Angel had been trying to fight the whole of hell with only four troops, and by the time we got there only a very injured Angel was left and Spike…"

At this point Buffy gasped, "S-spike! What do you mean?"

Xander held up a finger to silence her, "I was coming to that. To cut a long story short, which I am sure he'll have no problem boring you with, our favourite pet vampire got all reincarnate-y over the summer holidays, that gem thing you gave him, it turns out scrubbing wasn't it's only purpose, it bought Spike back to the living…dead, however…well there were factors."

Buffy's mind was reeling, 'Spike alive? What did this mean? Would there be lips? No bad Buffy don't think about those amazing - bad Buffy!' It was no secret that she had missed him when he died. But she still wasn't sure what she felt, not love but definitely something stronger than friendship.

"Well I guess that's the good part, but here comes the bad. We managed to hold of the army with a lot of magic and help from the PTB, but Angel was badly injured. We cared for him as best we could and he got better, but after that he didn't want anything more to do with being a Champion and did the Angel thing of disappearing."

"He...he ran of just like that?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, haven't seen him since."

Buffy nodded solemnly, "I see...well I'm sure he'll turn up at some point, wanting to warn us of some grave danger in Peru. Listen it's late and I haven't had dinner, can we carry on this conversation in the presence of large quantities of food please?"

"Sure. I saw a place round the corner, but it only sells breakfast," Xander replied. Buffy shrugged, pulling on her jacket tiredly.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,

Scotland.

Hermione scratched her head and sniffed loudly, as she scanned page one hundred and seven of 'The Guide to Medicine' for the fifth time. She was sitting in a corner of the library after hours, as usual. After what had happened to Harry it had seemed pointless for her and Ron to continue their journey, when they couldn't kill 'You-Know-Who' anyway. So the two teenagers had returned to Hogwarts to take their N.E.W.Ts. It was only November, yet Hermione was starting to feel like the whole school shenanigans was a waist of time, her of all people.

The halls felt isolated and lonely; Hogwarts wasn't the place it had once been. The students rushed from each class without stopping to greet one another in the halls, their enthusiasm was gone. Most of the seventh years barely bothered to turn up for class, instead opting to sit in abandoned classrooms smoking wild Alihotsy and sniffing fairy dust or, for the more daring, crushed Bowtruckle leaves. To be utterly truthful, Hermione had been tempted. The alluring smells of smoke and almost forgotten sounds of laughter were hard to turn down.

Not only this, but many students and their families had already perished in the never-ending struggle against Voldemort. Every hall echoed with memories, every seat, and every piece of grass. In addition to all of this, the new security that had been added to the school was making everyone unhappy. Instead of breaking the magical fields and inserting cameras as Hermione had suggested, the school walls had been installed with goblin eyes. They acted like cameras, but the way they oozed every so often was rather off-putting.

If inter-house rivalry had been bad before Voldemort came back into power, that was nothing compared to how it was now. The on-going battle between Slytherin and Gryffindor had intensified by about a million times. It wasn't just the Slytherins taking unwanted jabs at them anymore, now whenever a student from either house had a chance a spell would be shot, an insult made or even more horribly, a fight would break out. It was true that the older Slytherins were being a lot less ruthless now, as if the fight had been sucked out of them. Seventh and sixth year Gryffindors also had better things to worry about than fighting with their rivals. The school had made a very obvious divide, Slytherin on one side, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff together as always and then Gryffindor also alone.

Hermione slammed her book shut with a thud. It was her turn to supervise patrol tonight; unfortunately she was to be accompanied by Draco Malfoy. On their first patrol together she had noticed the change; he looked constantly ill and didn't even bother to make fun of her hair anymore. He would sometimes even make polite conversation. She would reply in the same falsely civil tone, but really she was just burning to ask what had happened after he so selfishly helped to kill Dumbledore.

Soon Hermione decided she would find out what had happened to Draco over the summer, and why Snape had killed Dumbledore when he had been on the side of good all along. Yes she smiled; soon she could put her weary seventeen year-old mind at rest.

Sunshine cafe, 24 hour breakfast.

Brighton.

Buffy and Xander sat opposite each other at a round table streaked with grease stains. The soulful sounds of Aretha Franklin crackled out of an old radio concealed behind the counter.

"Can I take your orders please?" came a bored voice from behind the two menus Buffy and Xander had propped up on their table.

"Uhm yes, I will have the full English breakfast with coffee, orange juice pancakes and buttered toast. You're paying right?" Buffy asked Xander hopefully.

"Yeah I am. I'll have the same but without with pancakes and orange juice, thanks."

The waitress scribbled down their orders and walked away.

"So what's the what?" Buffy asked raising an eyebrow at Xander.

"Okay so we left of our story where A…" Buffy sniffed warningly, "where that bad thing happened. After this we pretty much lay low for the year, Spike came to work for The Slayers' Council doing field stuff out in Hong Kong with Faith, Willow went back to Mongolia, Dawn and I stayed at base camp in Cleveland and Giles went to our headquarters in London with Wood. I've still got a crew there working on the west wing, and it should be finished by May.

So by this point the summer had started, and everything was going according to plan until around late July when some very strange things started happening. Five of our slayers went missing on patrol in a fortnight and weird things were starting to happen all around the world, I'm sure you noticed."

Buffy nodded, rolling her eyes. "One full English breakfast with pancakes and toast, orange juice and coffee, and yours is on its way sir," the waitress smiled placing Buffy's food down in front of her.

"Thanks," Buffy said waving a hand in Xander's direction to continue.

"So we were starting to get pretty weirded out by this point. Then Giles comes back from London with the news that the magical world had just declared themselves at war. Do you remember that one time at Giles' when we were having a Scooby meeting and some guy came out of the fireplace?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, what was with that?"

"I know, but you know how he explained that there was a different type of magic-user other than Wicca and they channelled magic through wands, and how these people had a whole other world hidden in ours?"

"Yeah, and he was talking about how he could have gone to that school for magic uhm…Hogs have warts…no Hogtosh…no Hogwarts!"

"Exactly, well it turns out that those people have been in the middle of a war with the 'darkest lord of all time' for like three years. But that's not the worst of it. There was a prophesy…"

"Uh oh," Buffy said in-between a mouthful of eggs. Xander's food was then plonked down on the table before him, "'Prophecy' is in fact probably my least favourite word, right up there with 'apocalypse' and 'full price'. If there's a prophecy involved count me out."

Xander's face fell. "Oh okay get on with it and tell me what it was and then we'll see," Buffy said irritably.

"Well this prophecy goes as follows," Xander got out a portable tape player and pressed play.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies. And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not. And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives. The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies.'"

"Well what does that mean?" Buffy asked perplexed.

"Basically this Dark Lord Voldemort came into power seventeen years ago when he terrorized the Wizarding world. He hears this prophecy, which leads him to the house of Lily and James Potter in late July. They had just had their little son Harry who was according to the prophecy the guy that would murder him, so Voldemort goes to kill Potter but he doesn't succeed. See this guy only heard the first part of the prophecy; he was all missin' the memo on the 'mark him as his equal' part. And that's just what Voldemort does; he kills the kids' parents and marks him as his equal in an attempt to kill him.

'Which rids him of his powers and sends him into hiding. Fast forward fourteen years later, this guy's back and wants to kill Harry seeing as neither can live while the other survives and Harry's the only guy that can kill him. Then fast forwards another three years and Harry Potter has to go out to find this guy and kill him, so he does bringing his two best friends. But somehow in late July the kid's on this train passing through London and by some freak coincidence the train blows up bam next to Waterloo bridge so he dies and Voldemort along with an increasingly large army is trying to take over the world, and so far succeeding," Xander finished with a sigh.

"Okay so you guys then all came to the rescue and are trying to help save the world, as usual. You need my help why?" Buffy asked sceptically.

"I know what you're thinking; we have all of these other slayers so why do we need you? We need you because you're the best, better than Faith, better than Kennedy, better than ten of the newbies put together. You're the greatest living legend in the world! The whole of the Wizarding world's heard of you, please Buffy just come home…"

A tear rolled down Buffy's cheek, curving in a fluid motion towards the cupid bow of her lips. "Okay I guess we could work something out…"

Xander smiled, reaching across the cluttered table to embrace her.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The train station smelt like bagels and coffee. The white synthetic floor was eroding beneath Buffy's feet; it looked fragile, like one heavy step might shatter it. Buffy stomped hard. Nothing. London Victoria had been crowded from the moment they had stepped of the train from Brighton, but now as they made their way towards the tubes Buffy was starting to rethink her definition of 'crowded'.

"I'm sorry we're not getting a cab, they're too frickin' expensive," Xander said as he collected their tickets from the machine and handed one to Buffy.

"It's fine, so where are we going anyway?"

"The Slayers' Council."

Buffy gulped, seeing her friends after two years wasn't going to be a picnic in the park.

The Slayers' Council,

Kings Road, London.

The darkness was complete; stars and moon hidden by the greying clouds, gloom towering over all. It hadn't taken long for Buffy's nerves to set in after looking at the looming building that was to be her new home.

"You ready?" Xander asked, his hand poised over the buzzer.

"Well, there is the slight factor that my whole body is saying no and I am right now having flash backs of Andrew's Red Riding Hood days, but apart from that, peachy with a side of keen."

"Come on, you'll be fine." Buffy made a sound that could only be described as a cross between a gurgle and a growl. He pressed the buzzer and the doors swung open.

Xander had explained the set up: it was a weekend and after-school training centre, which also housed all the Scoobies and any Slayers who wished to live there, as well as acting as a shelter in any time of distress. It seemed that they had come on a rare quite evening. Xander lead Buffy through the main training room, which was the size of a small football pitch, sparsely decorated and full of ten or so girls kicking and punching straw mannequins. The rest of the building was decorated in what Buffy would think as a typically English manner, with high ceilings and grand furniture.

"Well here we are," Xander said smiling, indicating the large doors behind him.

Buffy shivered, although she was by a radiator the house suddenly seemed deathly cold. "Here I go," she muttered as she pushed the doors open.

As Buffy entered with a smiling Xander in tow, the three occupants of the room looked up from what they were doing sharply. Buffy stood awkwardly at the front of a large oak table, Giles sat rigidly at one end, Dawn gob smacked and fuming on his left and Faith languidly smirking a few seats away on Giles' right.

"Well look what the trash bought in," Dawn quipped coldly, staring at Buffy piercingly.

"Dawnie!" Xander exclaimed.

"What? She's not a real sister of mine, no real sister would desert me like that." At this Dawn stood up, flinging her chair behind her, and stormed out of the room.

Buffy felt tears prickling her brown eyes, the start of an onslaught of fiery sobs were soon to drown her. "This was a bad idea…" she muttered, making to walk out of the room, but before she could Faith had her arm.

"Best not to cause any more problems, B; if I were you I'd stay and try to make it up to us," she hissed, dragging Buffy to the table.

"Yes Buffy," Giles said cleaning his glasses, "perhaps you should sit down." She nodded mutely her voice in temporary shock. 'What have I done?' were her thoughts as she sat down. "Now, Faith. How about some tea?" he continued. Faith grumbled as she made her way into the kitchen.

"So, Buffy how are you?" Giles asked politely.

Buffy looked down at the shiny surface of the table. Her image was reflected perfectly, a soft pellet of water made a splash over it.

"Oh god, Giles," Buffy beseeched looking up at him, "I'm so sorry, please forgive me. Please, you have to…I wish I hadn't run away and that I'd been here for everyone, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"

Giles stared at her for a few minutes; he made to reach out and take her hand but thought better of it. "Buffy I'm sure you must know that I'm very disappointed in you. You have a lot of explaining to do before I can even begin to think about forgiving you, but if you don't feel ready…"

"No!" She replied quickly, "I want to explain myself."

"Well then get explainey B," Faith declared as she placed a tea tray on the table.

Rome, Italy.

November 2004.

Buffy stared at Dawn sceptically. "So, you're saying that the grand Duke of Hell 'Astaroth' has been given the key to earth and will open the abyss and unleash hell upon us, unless we give him a slayer to feed Satan?" she asked.

"Pretty much, but he was specific not just any slayer, it has to either be you or Faith."

Buffy's eyes widened, "Oh, well that's just great. How do I kill it?"

"You can't…"

Buffy wondered through 'Saint Christopher's' moonlit cemetery. She had been planning to give herself up to 'Astaroth' tonight, but as the blond walked on past graves and shining mausoleums, she realised that although it was the right thing to do there was nothing she wanted more than to live. After her two short encounters with death she had felt as if life was an intangible dream just passing her by. But now finally it was all coming together, her cookie dough self was rising and hopefully soon she would be baked.

Buffy stopped by a gleaming angel, praising the heavens for the gift that was earth as his feat sunk slowly in to the muddy grave below. In that moment with perfect clarity she knew that she couldn't let herself die; if she took another step then everything would be over. She knew exactly what she had to do.

November 2006

T.S.C (The Slayers' Council)

"I couldn't do it, I just couldn't. So I came back to the house and found this spell that would bring 'Astaroth' to me," Buffy explained.

She remembered it so well; the bathroom had been bathed in a flickering red glow from the candles. She had chanted until there was a bang and there he stood in all his looming glory.

Rome, Italy

November 2004.

"Of summers past in heavens fine gardens where I walked, never did I see an angel as pretty as thee until I fell into the burning abyss of hell. You call me fourth slayer and I shall devour you, from head to toe. Every morsel of your being now belongs to me."

Buffy flinched backwards but somehow she found herself transfixed by him.

He was handsome, blond and brown. His hair curled like the fist of a newborn baby around a thumb. His eyes were crystal blue, as if one hard look might make them shatter. A look of childish innocence played across his broad face, but his eyes were flooded with vindictive mirth. Gradually his paper-thin white lips curved into a grimace. His stature was slight and fragile but his arms were large and muscular, almost too short for his body. Two sets of wings one on top of the other protruded from his back, one was white and softly feathered and the other was a scaly green and red. The scales were covered in slime that gradually dripped onto his sandaled feet.

"I can get you what you want if you help me get there. I can give you Faith."

"Thou art brave, and sly. Thou shall risk sending another to 'Pandaemonium' so thou may live?" He breathed.

"Yes," Buffy whispered.

November 2006

T.S.C

"So I told him you were in Cleveland and he zapped us there," Buffy said nodding at Faith, whose face was set. "We were standing above you and he was about to swallow you then regurgitate you in hell or something gross like that, but then you woke up."

Everyone at the table looked down or away as they remembered what had happened next. Faith had woken up and a bloody battle had proceeded. 'Astaroth' had been furious by the lack of obedience; he had thrown Buffy and Faith out through the window into the rain where both of them were almost dragged into hell. Had it not been for Dawn who sent him back to Pandaemonium by opening a portal with her blood, he would have succeeded.

Buffy could still feel the heat so near as she and Faith inched ever closer to the fiery lake' everything was so dark and tight that she could hardly breath. But then there was blood and a white light so bright she cried out, and there they were lying face down in the mud outside Faith's bedroom window.

"I just couldn't stay after that," Buffy whispered, ashamed. "I almost killed you Faith, but I am so sorry. I wish I hadn't, I really do."

"Don't worry B; I'm used to it by now. What's that, the second or third? It's cool five by five…just try not to next time. yeah?" Faith quipped unsurely.

"Well Buffy, I suppose the circumstances were highly understandable, but it does not give you an excuse to neglect your duties," Giles said.

Buffy grimaced, fighting back the urge to retort.

"C'mon Buff, I'll show you to your bedroom, it's a nice one with a view and everything," Xander said.

"Yeah okay…wait, uhm Giles, where's Spike?" she asked as she and Xander made a move to leave.

Wizarding Swing Club,

London.

Buffy sashayed her way through the crowded dance floor. She had not wanted Spike to recognise her at first, so she asked one of the Watchers to perform a glamour on her. Now she was Elizabeth Black, with brown hair and green eyes, a straight but large nose and a red satin dress with a split back.

She grabbed a Gillywater from a nearby table to steady her nerves, and there he was in his normal black drains and a smart suite jacket with a hint of a coloured shirt. He was dancing with a woman in a purple silk thirties number. The general look of the room seemed to be a mix of twentieth century fashion or the most conservative twenty-first century fashions.

**Rock step,**

**Triple step,**

**Cuddle step,**

**Triple step,**

**Roll out,**

"May I cut in?" Buffy asked politely.

**1,2,3 and the beat swings,**

**Rock step,**

**Tap, Tap,**

**Hold**.

"What's your name, pet?" Spike growled in Buffy's ear as he held her against him.

**Roll out,**

**Roll inn.**

"Elizabeth," she replied softly, "what's yours, cowboy?"

**Basic Charlston,**

**Shimmy, **

**Rock step, **

**Hop.**

"William, but you can call me Spike cowgirl."

The beat picks up the energy is charged,

**Rock step,**

**Tap,**

**Tap,**

**Hop,**

**Jump,**

**Swing out, **

**And inn**.

"You look very pretty tonight slayer…" Spike breathed.

**Leg kicks out,**

**Across partners back,**

**Rock step,**

**Tap,**

**Tap,**

**Swing out. **

Buffy fell shocked into a dancing couple, until they pushed her back to Spike's ready and waiting hand.

**Spin inn. **

"What do you mean, my name's Elizabeth Black!"

**Shim sham,**

**Full brake,**

**Side push Suite,**

**Tacky Annie,**

**Full Brake**.

"No it's not," Spike said as he held Buffy's hand firmly beside him before spinning her in front of him.

**Rock step, **

**Tap,**

**Tap,**

**Shimmy,**

**Brake, **

**Run,**

**Jump,**

**Lift,**

**Spin,**

**Down,**

**Hold. **

"I can always smell you, no matter what disguise you have on, Buffy."

Back alley of the Wizarding Swing Club,

London.

Spikes body was firm and comforting against her own. Everything was the same. His strong hands roaming down her back, even the soft yet insistent pressure of his kiss. Buffy gripped onto him like a leech, as though if she let go then she might fall down into the pit of pitch black bubble gum stained tar beneath her. It had been so long, yet even now she felt the same dependency on him that she had before.

"Buffy…" he said hoarsely, pushing her away from him. Buffy swallowed hard, she hadn't meant it go that way. The glamour had worn off and she was now standing there staring at him sheepishly as he fumbled around for a lighter and a cigarette.

"I'm sorry…" Buffy began, "I mean, I didn't want it to go so fast, especially not after everything that's happened."

Spike shrugged, "Don't worry about it love, if you don't wanna go any further then we'll leave it hear, it can be an…'ello kiss, like that one you gave our Angel." He finished if a little bitterly.

Buffy looked down at the floor, she briefly wondered who else had stood there and had an awkward conversation like the one that was no doubt about to happen.

"Why didn't you tell me you were alive?" Buffy asked.

"I couldn't, not after what I said to you. Besides I needed time to think and sort out my bloody head."

Buffy looked away again, "Do you still love me?"

Spike stared at her right in the eye, petrifying blue against hazel. "Did you ever love me?"

A/N: Next time I promise there will be more Harry Potter.

Please Review.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A green bottle smashed loudly against the pavement, shattering into a thousand pieces. Draco Malfoy stood over a shard of the thick glass. He could see his reflection blurred against the pavement.

"Of all the bloody stupid things I've done, joining the Order of The Phoenix was the worst," he muttered sullenly.

Draco had officially joined the Order a month after Dumbledore's death. Snape and he had lain low for the month and then when they thought it was safe returned to Hogwarts. It turned out Snape had been on the side of good all along, that's when Professor McGonagall offered him a job working for the Order where they could protect him from Voldemort. Draco eagerly accepted.

The good thing was he got to miss a lot of school going to important meetings, and that's where he was headed now. Last night Rupert Giles had contacted Snape, who had apparently known him for years. Giles and his team, The Slayers' Council, had been working on fighting Voldemort for some months already, but had only just heard of the Order; today they were all going to meet to discuss tactics and make formal introductions.

All Draco really wanted to do was sleep, if you could call it sleeping. He spent the rare times he could sleep paralysed in his bed, slowly sinking, oblivion taking over all. The bed sheets and mattress would come up around him folding around him in two high walls. There he would let the tides of self pity and torrents of self loathing wash over him. But then Blaise would come with a dab of Muggle 'speed' to keep him from suffocating in his half-awake state, and Draco would be up again, unable to sleep for days.

He was even starting to enjoy his time patrolling with Hermione. She was wary of him and he liked that. He wasn't depressed, far from it. She knew he wasn't depressed, she still treated him like the same old Draco, which really he was. It was only when night came that he found himself lost. Secretly he wished he could confide in Hermione. The truth was he didn't give a bollock about Dumbledore; it was Harry who had him drenched from head to toe in worry.

The King's Road was wet, the rain from the night before hadn't stopped until seven o'clock that morning. Draco skidded slightly, coming to a stop in front of a large billboard propped against the side of the road; there had been many like this over the year, warnings and new laws posted up by the Muggle Government. People were starting to act rashly in both the wizarding and Muggle world, everything was starting to intertwine like branches on an old tree. The war was affecting everyone, and hardly ever in a good way.

Draco carried on walking until he found himself standing outside The Slayers' Council. He checked the time on his watch, he was late. He moved slowly through the open gates and up a long gravel path until he was face to face with two ominous doors.

Dawn was the person who answered the door once Draco had rung the bell.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm here with The Order of The Phoenix," he said cocking an eyebrow.

She smiled, "Follow me, the meeting's only just started." Draco nodded, stepping into the large, flag stoned hallway. He followed Dawn down what seemed to be a never-ending corridor. They passed large breakfast rooms that smelt distinctly of fish, and a training room the size of a small football pitch with over two dozen girls in it.

"What's your name?" he asked conversationally.

"Dawn," she replied shortly, he noticed how she didn't return the favour of asking him his.

Draco and Dawn soon entered the same room Buffy had with Xander the previous night, however it was a lot fuller. Giles was the first to notice the two younger members of their operation.

"Buffy, show Dawn and the boy to their seats will you?" Giles whispered. And Buffy who had talked to Dawn last night about what was to be a long road to forgiveness, moved forward. As she did she distinctly heard Xander hiss to Faith, "It looks like we've got a mini Spike to deal with."

"Well before I start, may I just say what a pleasure it is to have you all come all the way here to help us," Giles said gesturing towards McGonagall, Snape, Moody and Malfoy, who were the only Order members who could make it. They all nodded curtly in response.

"Likewise I'm sure," Moody smirked.

Draco found himself nodding off as they talked tactics and swapped stories. It was only when Buffy spoke that his head snapped up.

"So you're saying that this guy Harry Potter is dead, but no one's actually found a body?" she asked. Silence followed her question.

"Well what do you expect us to do Miss Summers?" Snape asked, sneering, "Go and look for the boy?"

Buffy smiled. "Actually that's not a bad idea. What do you all think about going on a search party? I mean it's totally your call but I was thinking we could use magic to help us track him down…" she trailed off, it almost felt strange to be asking permission for one of her plans to be put into action.

"Well Miss Summers I suppose we could try, although just because there is no body does not mean he is alive. Something has changed I can feel it. Anyway it can't hurt to look what do you say?" Asked McGonagall.

Snape looked at McGonagall skeptically and then turned his gaze to Buffy "I don't suppose you actually think that there is even the slightest chance of you finding Potter, Miss Summers," He hissed derisively, Buffy answered him with a defiant nod, "Oh you do? Well then you yanks are even stupider than I thought. The boy is dead and no amount of searching is going to change that. I just hope it won't take too long for that piece of novelty information to penetrate your thick skull."

Dawn was looking at him, rage seeping through her eyes and over her jumper like lava.

"Hold your tongue, Severus!" Moody growled, "And keep your greasy hair on while you're at it. The girl has a point, it can't hurt to look. We can get Draco and his friends to do all the leg work over their holidays, what do you say?"

Draco felt a bubble of excitement rising in his chest; if there was even the slightest possibility that Harry was alive then…well it was something. "Yes Professor, I'd be happy to help and I'm sure the others would be too. Why don't you get the Weasleys to help and Granger, after all they knew him the best," he drawled, trying to contain a smile from gracing his face.

"Of course, of course. What do you think about this Rupert?" McGonagall asked.

Giles removed his glasses and began to clean them, "Well, you're right, it won't hurt to look, but I'm just not to sure about you finding him. If he is alive then why wouldn't he contact someone?" Giles in truth highly doubted the possibility of Harry being alive; everything was looking rather bleak to him. It was like an old painting he had once seen abandoned on the street; the canvas merely depicted a long gray river, the murky depths of the water had swallowed a ton of rubbish and had gone from pure blue to stinking green and grey.

"What about at Hogwarts, don't you want some of us stationed there?" Buffy asked.

McGonagall and Snape exchanged glances, "Well, we are in need of a new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher," said McGonagall. Snape had gone back to teaching potions after Slughorn's abrupt departure from the job.

"Well may I suggest you have two teachers, one teaching physical defence and another to cover the more magical aspects?" Giles asked.

"Yeah we could get Faith and Willow over there," Xander suggested.

"That should be fine," McGonagall answered.

"How about you Faithy, fancy debauching a load of private school kiddies?" Buffy asked, with a smirk.

"Five by five B, I'd love to do it. Who's gonna call Willow?" Xander raised his hand in answer to Faiths question.

"Well I do hope that there will be no…uhm debauching," McGonagall stuttered, "Faith and her colleague will find a train waiting for them at King's Cross station, platform nine and three quarters. From there they will be taken to Hogsmeade station, where a man will be waiting for them outside. Don't worry you won't miss him he's rather uhm…distinguished."

Everyone around the table smiled. The light outside the windows was starting to fade as the clock struck four, and the occupants could hear the stampede of footsteps overhead, which was the Slayers heading to their Watchers for instructions on patrolling. Draco then realized how much he didn't want to go back to Hogwarts; the tension that he had to deal with was unbearable. Nobody believed his innocence in the crime…well at least some of them tried to, but it was more for their own sakes than his.

That night it was bitterly cold, the wind lashing against the walls of the house. Dawn sat down on the back steps, listening to the temporary hush of the night. She shivered in her thin jumper and jeans as rain started to pour down in heavy drops onto the grass. Soon she knew lightning and thunder would start to consume the sky, but just then it was quiet.

"You're gonna catch your death," Buffy warned from behind her. She could see her older sister's shadow splayed across the grass from the warm lights of the house.

"Not cold," Dawn replied.

"I like the weather like this, sometimes when I was alone in Scotland I'd stand on the balcony and wait until I was soaked. I felt like the whole world could stop and it wouldn't matter, I was just peaceful."

Dawn loved times like this, when they seemed to feel the same thing. It gave her a sense of closure to know that nature could be so wild, but she was still there, just one thing among many.

"You look untouchable," Buffy said.

"I am."

Red seemed to be the only colour in Hermione's life, red for blood, red for passion, red for fire, red for Ron. His hand fumbled clumsily up her shirt, groping her breast through the fabric of her bra. She sighed wearily, he mistook it for a sigh of passion and started to increase the almost painful antics. He moaned onto her neck as he mauled her body.

"'Mione, Jesus." She was about to push him of her when she felt him tense and shudder against her. 'Shit' she thought.

Ron stood back from her sheepishly and without the support of his hands Hermione slid slightly down the wall they'd been leaning against.

"Uhm…I'm sorry Hermione, I didn't…" he said blushing almost as red as his hair.

"Don't worry about it," she replied straightening out her school uniform. "Listen Ron, I'm not sure if us getting together is such a good idea." Hermione was the one blushing this time.

"Yeah I know, it's just it's hard you know."

Ron came to stand next to her and the two slid down the wall, sitting down beneath a painting of a rather startled mouse. Their dark grey school bags, black trousers and skirt clashed with the wall and the smooth surface of the floor, cold as ice to the touch.

"I wish we could have saved him some how," Hermione said after a comfortable silence.

"How the bloody hell do you think we would have done that?"

She shrugged, "I talked to McGonagall when she came back from that meeting we weren't allowed to go to, we're getting two new Defence teachers."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? When are they coming, we can see how long these two last."

Hermione sniffed at him disapprovingly. "Tomorrow, early in the morning."

The two stayed in their positions, staring blankly out at the opposite wall, just as grey as the one they lent against, the mundanity contradicting entirely the loud, fiery energy of their thoughts.

The cornfield looked golden and pink in the sunset. A green snake made its track across the corn as it slithered to a small clearing in the middle. A man stood in black robes, so dark against the gold of the corn that it looked like a chunk of space had been taken and placed there. He slowly took a knife out of his pocket and raised it, that's when the snake noticed a blond girl lying gagged and tied on the ground. The man reached down and raised her up by her bound hands. He suddenly turned towards the snake, piercing red eyes boring down onto him.

"Kill her," he hissed, before slitting the girl's throat. She fell with a thud, blood trickling onto the shining, pure corn.

Harry bolted upright in his bed sweat running down his face. He lay back down quickly.

"Fuck me," he muttered, running the dream over in his mind. He shut his eyes tightly, consoling himself with the thought that it was only a dream and he was not a snake: he was Harry James Walker and his twin sister Emily Walker was sleeping in the room just next to his, her snores reverberating through the walls, like a long forgotten lullaby sending him into sweet oblivion.


End file.
